Tillage Sector: Statements
Dail Éireann — 2025-10-15
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Erin McGreehan (FF), Louth

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the future of the tillage sector. Recently I met representatives of Louth IFA and they made their concerns crystal clear. Tillage farmers are very proud of what they produce but they are under real pressure. Rising input costs, unpredictable weather, global market volatility and competition for land have all combined to squeeze margins, often to breaking point.
Louth may be Ireland’s smallest county, but its contribution to agriculture is in no way small. The grain grown in the Boyne Valley and right up to the Cooley Peninsula is among the finest in the country. However, as is the case elsewhere, tillage acreage is slipping. Nationally, we have seen a 40% decline in tillage area over the past 40 years. It is down to about 334,000 ha. We must buck that trend as it cannot continue. Fianna Fáil has taken real action to support the sector and since 2020, the Government has provided more direct funding to tillage than any before it. The €10.9 million under the protein aid scheme, €15.5 million through the straw incorporation measure, the unharvested crop support and once-off payments for oilseed and cereal crops offered crucial relief after really difficult seasons.
Budget 2026 commits at least €50 million to tillage supports. That is a clear signal the Government is serious about sustaining farm incomes and securing the long-term viability of the sector. However, as Louth IFA rightly told me, it is not just about supports but about markets. Irish grain is among the most low carbon in the world. That is an extraordinary asset to have in the economy and we should be really pushing it. We should use that as an advantage to reduce feed imports and strengthen links between the drinks and food industries. There is opportunity, as others have said, to align the Irish whiskey industry more closely with Irish grain. There is no requirement for Irish whiskey to use Irish cereals and that needs to change. If “Irish” is on the label, it should mean Irish grown. The fantastic Cooley Distillery could only be better with more Irish grain.
The Food Vision tillage group has set a target of expanding to 400,000 ha by 2030. It is achievable if we tackle land access, ensure fair pricing, create more markets and reward environmental performance. The rewards are real. It is about thriving rural communities and the family farm model surviving. The message from Louth is clear: farmers are ready to invest, innovate and contribute to our climate goals. What they need is confidence and a policy and a market that will stand with them. I look forward to seeing real growth in our tillage sector in County Louth.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2025-10-15/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:13+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-10-15